The Pros and Cons of Choosing a Local or Global Charity

After deciding what charitable cause one wants to support, the next step is to determine whether to give locally or globally. While there are countless organizations around the world that need people to donate to them, there are several nonprofits in a donors local community. How can someone make the right decision?

Local Organizations

There are several benefits to donating to local organizations that are already within one’s community.

Pros

Local organizations are typically smaller charities than the larger global organizations. With these nonprofits, donors will find that their giving is more actionable and less likely to be used for questionable purposes.

When giving locally, donors can get to know the team members of the nonprofit organization and better understand their mission. By having access to their facilities, local donors are able to reach out to these nonprofits to see what type of work is being done.

Cons

While there is a certain level of proximity that can’t be ignored when giving locally, there are a few downsides to donating to local organizations. Some charities, due to their size and lack of resources, end up closing shortly after they’ve opened their doors. These local organizations aren’t as likely to succeed as other international nonprofits.

While local organizations tend to have fewer expenses and overhead costs, it is likely that a larger percentage of their donations will go to keeping their doors open rather than actually helping others. These smaller local charities don’t have the same type of access to funding and grants that other organizations do.

Global Nonprofits

While donors don’t have the same physical access to global nonprofits as they would with global nonprofits, there are benefits to donating to global organizations.

Pros

As most of these internationally based charities are committed to helping the poorest nations in the world, donors’ dollars tend to go further than they might with local charities. It costs significantly less to feed children in some of the less developed countries in the world. Moreover, most international charities have been in service for several years, making it easier to determine their level of impact throughout the world.

Cons

Many donors that want to give globally are faced with the conundrum of giving an international organization while there are local communities within their own country that need assistance. Similarly, when giving to a nonprofit that isn’t locally based, donors run the risk of encountering fraudulent charitable organizations.

It can be difficult to decide where to donate one’s money. Donors should keep the pros and cons of local and global organizations in mind as they make their decision.